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More than 2,000 honor slain NM family

Published on NewsOK
Modified: January 26, 2013 at 3:29 am •
Published: January 26, 2013

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — More than 2,000 people gathered at an Albuquerque church to remember five members of a New Mexico family gunned down in their home last weekend. There were also prayers for the 15-year-old son and brother charged with the killings.

Nehemiah Griego, 15, is seen in an undated photo provided by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Deptartment. Griego is charged with killing five family members on Jan. 19, 2013, including his father, mother, and three youngest siblings in Albuquerque, N.M. Authorities in New Mexico say Griego had reloaded his guns after the attacks and planned to go to a Wal-Mart and randomly shoot people. Instead, they say he texted a picture of his dead mother to his 12-year-old girlfriend, then spent much of Saturday with her. The two went to the church where his father had been a pastor, and Griego eventually confessed to killing his parents and three younger siblings. (AP Photo/Bernalillo County Sheriff's Deptartment)

Following a police escort, chaplains and members of the Albuquerque Fire Department lined the procession. Bagpipes played at the memorial service Friday and the urns of former pastor Greg Griego, his wife Sarah and their three young children were carried into the one of the city's largest churches.

Family members recalled Greg Griego's lumbering walk, his hearty laugh and his endless commitment to helping others to turn their lives around. His wife, known for her cooking, and their children were just as much a part of that ministry. The family was always a front-row fixture at church services.

The crowd prayed for the Griegos and for their son Nehemiah, who remains in custody.

Annette Griego, one of Greg Griego's adult daughters, told those at the service that her father was a man whose heart was after God.

"My dad never gave up on me. He never gave up on any of us. He never stopped giving us Jesus and so I know he would want us to do the exact same thing for our brother, Nehemiah," she said. "So if you wonder where we stand, we stand alongside our brother."

"We stand confident that God will take this tragedy and use it for something good," she said.

News of the slayings has reverberated throughout the community, where Greg Griego — a former gang member turned pastor — was known for his work with jail inmates, his service at local rescue missions and his spiritual guidance for firefighters and members of the military.

Friends said Greg Griego and his teenage son went on missions to Mexico and that the boy was a talented drummer who played with the church's youth band.

On Friday, family, friends and members of the Calvary Albuquerque church who watched the boy grow up continued to struggle, trying to make sense of the tragedy.

Nehemiah Griego was just a normal teen to Vince Harrison, a former police officer who had known the family for about 10 years through his security work at the church.

"He did not fit the criteria of a kid who was crazy into guns and wanted to hurt people. That's absolutely false," Harrison said.

Nehemiah Griego is facing murder and child abuse charges in the deaths of his parents and three younger siblings — all found shot to death inside their rural home south of Albuquerque on Jan. 19.

Detectives were at the home for two days collecting evidence. They also have been reviewing text messages and calls between the boy and his 12-year-old girlfriend and security video from Calvary, where the teen apparently spent much of the day following the early morning shootings.

After the killings, authorities allege that Nehemiah Griego reloaded his parents' two semi-automatic rifles and put them in the family van and planned to gun down Wal-Mart shoppers.

Public defender Jeff Buckels said he will consult with mental health experts and investigate the effects of violent video games. Authorities have said Griego liked to play "Modern Warfare" and "Grand Theft Auto."